New York THEATRE

The tour starts at 6.00pm Monday 14 April, at the WestHouse Hotel, New York.

The tour ends after breakfast on Thursday 24 April, at the WestHouse Hotel, New York.

Flights from Australia arrive in New York in the late afternoon. In the early evening, we gather for drinks in the hotel bar followed by dinner in a local restaurant. If you have arrived early, we suggest you take one of the many harbour cruises available in Manhattan and can particularly recommend the AIA tour. Academy Travel can arrange bookings. Overnight New York (D)

The legendary Carnegie Hall is synonymous with New York’s performing arts, long providing superb acoustics and a tradition of outstanding concerts. Built by its namesake industrialist founder in 1891 and saved by violinist Isaac Stern from the wrecking ball in the 60s, the list of celebrated performers who have graced its stages is almost endless – from Tchaikovsky to Mahler, The Beatles to Sinatra. After an introductory lecture in our hotel this morning, we enjoy a private tour of Carnegie Hall, uncovering more than 130 years of stories in this iconic venue. We then continue to the High Line – a beautiful urban park situated on a former elevated rail line through the now-chic Chelsea and Meatpacking districts. After a stroll above the hustle and bustle of the city, we enjoy some free time in the exuberant 21st-century food bazaar that is Chelsea Market. Tonight sees us return to Carnegie Hall’s historic Stern Auditorium to kick off our performance program. Music director of the Metropolitan Opera Yannick Nézet-Séguin will lead The Philadelphia Orchestra through Mahler’s mammoth Sixth Symphony. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Performance I
Venue: Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall
Program: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Mahler Symphony No. 6

Titan of the American Musical, Stephen Sondheim was the theatre’s most revered and influential composer-lyricist of the last half of the 20th-century and the driving force behind some of Broadway’s most beloved and celebrated shows, including A Little Night Music and West Side Story. Bestowed the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre and inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame, his work spans over five decades. We begin today with a lecture on the legacy of Sondheim’s greatest musicals, whose scores raised and reset the artistic standard on the American stage, before heading to Broadway for the Olivier-Winning musical comedy Operation Mincemeat. After two sold-out years in the West End, this fast-paced show crosses the pond to tell the hilarious and unbelievable true story of the twisted secret mission that turned the tide of World War II. The afternoon is then at leisure before we return to Broadway for the Sondheim/Styne/Laurents classic, Gypsy. Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald will be starring as Mama Rose as she fights for her daughter’s success (while secretly yearning for her own). Overnight New York (B, LD)

Performance II
Venue: Golden Theatre, Broadway
Program: Musical, Operation Mincemeat

Performance III
Venue: Majestic Theatre, Broadway
Program: Musical, Gypsy

An emblem of Art Deco-era Manhattan and a Midtown magnet, Rockefeller Center features quintessential New York sites like the ice-skating rink with its famous golden Prometheus Sculpture, the Channel Gardens and 30 Rock. This morning we enjoy a behind- the-scenes-tour of Radio City Music Hall within Rockefeller Center, home of the high-kicking Rockettes. The world’s largest auditorium when built, this opulent Music Hall has hosted concerts, sports and television specials since 1932. We then ascend the Top of the Rock with its three observation decks and spectacular, unobstructed 360° views of the city. We return to Broadway tonight for a new top ticket which sees Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Dolls) make her Broadway debut as the immortal Norma Desmond in the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s thrilling musical, Sunset Boulevard. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Performance IV
Venue: St. James Theatre, Broadway
Program: Musical, Sunset Boulevard

We begin our day with a walking tour in New York’s Downtown area, where the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam was founded in the 17th century. We make our way down some of New York’s oldest streets, working our way up into the Financial District as we visit sites such as the elegant Beaux-Arts style Customs House, Wall Street, Trinity Church, New York City Hall and the Woolworth Building. After pausing for lunch at Trinity Place, set inside an old Wall Street bank vault, we conclude our tour at the moving 9/11 Memorial and the Santiago Calatrava-designed St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and Oculus. In the afternoon (subject to reopening), we make our way to the Frick Collection for a tour of this unique museum displayed in the former private home of Pittsburgh entrepreneur Henry Clay Frick. In the evening, we hope to enjoy a performance at ‘Jazz at Lincoln Center’ in their magnificent auditorium overlooking Central Park. Overnight New York (B, L, LD)

Performance V
Venue: Jazz at Lincoln Center
Program: To be advised

Since its beginning in the early 1900s when theatres began populating Times Square, the dazzling electric signage of Broadway has become a symbol for New York itself. Today is spent in this theatrical mecca, with our first stop being the newly opened Museum of Broadway. This four-floor interactive experience in Times Square takes us behind the curtain, detailing the city’s history of theatre from its birth to the present day with hundreds of props and rare costumes on show, including objects like Patti LuPone’s Evita wig, a Jets jacket from West Side Story and a pair of tap shoes from the recent revival of The Music Man with Australian showman Hugh Jackman. After our visit, there is time to explore the glitzy billboards, unique characters and iconic landmarks of Times Square before we catch a matinee play or musical. Tonight we return to Radio City Music Hall where we’ll catch those tap shoes in action as Hugh Jackman reprises some of his most iconic performances, including songs from The Music Man, The Boy From Oz, The Greatest Showman, and other surprises. From New York, With Love is set to be a night of unforgettable music in one of the city’s most storied venues. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Performance VI
Venue: A Broadway Theatre
Program: To be announced

Performance VII
Venue: Radio City Music Hall
Program: Hugh Jackman Live - From New York With Love

In New York, particularly the Harlem neighbourhood, Gospel music has remained close to its roots. For early risers, we enjoy the opportunity to participate in a Gospel church service in Harlem, as joyous music carries the powerful message of praise, sacrifice and hope, before taking in some of the other northern Manhattan sights. In the afternoon we return to Broadway for a matinee play or musical, followed by an evening at leisure. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Performance VIII
Venue: A Broadway Theatre
Program: To be announced

After a lecture in our hotel this morning, the day is yours to enjoy. You might like to do some shopping on 5th Avenue or in the boutiques of SoHo, or explore one of the city’s many museums. You could even visit an iconic New York site like Staten Island and the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building or the New York Public Library. Tonight we reconvene in the hotel and make our way to the Lincoln Center for a true New York experience – dinner at the famous Grand Tier Restaurant inside the Metropolitan Opera House – before Bartlett Sher’s madcap production of Rossini’s effervescent comedy The Barber of Seville takes the stage. Star mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard headlines a winning ensemble as the feisty heroine Rosina, alongside high-flying tenor Lawrence Brownlee as her secret beloved Count Almaviva. Baritone Davide Luciano stars as the infamous barber of Seville, with Giacomo Sagripanti conducting. Overnight New York (B, D)

Performance IV
Venue: Metropolitan Opera House
Program: Opera, The Barber of Seville

Set in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, New York’s famous Museum of Modern Art re-opened in 2019 after a significant expansion of its space and a total rethink of its mission. This morning we take a private tour of MoMA before the doors open to the public, as a museum lecturer guides us through the museum’s greatest works, with the likes of Picasso, Gauguin and van Gogh set to delight. After the tour, you are free to explore MoMA at your leisure. Lunch is in the Museum’s excellent restaurant The Modern. This Michelin two-star restaurant overlooks MoMA’s sculpture courtyard and is certain to be a culinary highlight of the tour. The afternoon is free to explore the museum further or visit some of the other interesting sites nearby. In the evening we return to Broadway for the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, The Outsiders. Based on S.E. Hinton’s groundbreaking novel that spawned a Francis Ford Coppola movie, this classic coming-of-age story stars Brody Grant as troubled teenager Ponyboy Curtis. Overnight New York (B, L, LD)

Performance X
Venue: Jacobs Theatre Broadway
Program: Musical, The Outsiders

After a relaxed morning, we make our final trip to Broadway for what is expected to be the highlight performance of the tour. In this strictly limited revival of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Othello, Academy Award winner Denzel Washington stars in the title role as the noble Moor of Venice and commanding warrior-general. Opposite him, Tony and Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal portrays Iago, the ambitious lieutenant and masterful manipulator. Rising West End star Molly Osborne will make her Broadway debut as Desdemona. Following the performance, we enjoy our farewell dinner at Sardi’s, the famous Theatre District restaurant. Sardi’s has been the toast of Broadway for over a century and is a fitting way to send off our stay. Overnight New York (B, D)

Performance XI
Venue: Barrymore Theatre, Broadway
Program: Play, Othello

Central Park’s landscaping has been described as New York’s largest work of art, and on our last morning you may like to join your tour leader for a stroll through some of the carefully sculpted vistas the park provides, including the Belvedere and the Bethesda Terrace, discussing the history and creation of this unique urban space. The tour concludes after hotel checkout. (B)